Originally Posted by
CatchyUsername
I know Envoy and SkyWest both have their pros and cons. SkyWest pays tuition reimbursement directly to me (non-taxable) and would let me finish the last of my time building sooner at my local school I've been conducting my Instrument/CMEL at. I've been using GI Bill for all of my training so far, and will just need the remainder of my airplane PIC time soon. Envoy would require me to wait until I'm on terminal leave to move down to Coast and time build with another student and pays them directly. SkyWest starts a paycheck at ATP-CTP where as Envoy doesn't until Indoc. Envoy will probably have me on reserve for a significant amount of time until I can actually hold a line at DFW, and as soon as I upgrade I'll be booted back to LGA/ORD. Envoy had a huge spike of hiring, and is now slowing their pace for FOs which means seniority is going to be a little more stagnant and make getting a line back at DFW even longer. SkyWest sounds like if I go CRJ for DFW or commute to IAH from DFW I'll have a good chance of flying a fair share off the bat.
We're buying a house in the DFW area in the next few months, and I plan on spending my foreseeable future there. Goal is to have as seamless as a transition from paycheck to paycheck, and from what I'm gathering SkyWest is my best bet for that. Would CRJ right now guarantee me getting at least IAH after training? How long would DFW take realistically if I would be starting the pipeline w/ATP-CTP in 3-4 months? Is DFW going anywhere any time soon? I read 4 years, but how likely is that to change? Also feel free to destroy my hopes and dreams. I'm used to it.
DFW opens in September with a 4 year aircraft deal with American. Whether or not it gets extended is anyones guess, but Skywest has been very good at securing contracts and flying. IAH use to have about 120 crews per seat but is down to about 30 now. It was about to close, but I think United asked us to keep it open. With 20 aircraft in DFW, I would guess its going to grow to about the 100-120 mark of crews. Skywest opens and closes bases like crazy. They grow and shrink too as you can see with IAH.
Envoy and AA are rock solid in DFW, as they are obviously both headquartered there and unless someone major happens, AA probably isn't going anywhere. Envoy has a flow to AA, so you could potentially spend your entire career driving to work, which is huge if you plan on staying in the area. So don't forgot to think about the long term effects instead of just the short term of transition for you. Reserve to being a line holder and upgrading are always a moving targets, so if you're driving to work it won't matter as much.
I'm at SkyWest now, and being from the DFW area, I do sometimes wish Envoy had hired me. I've enjoyed SkyWest too, but you can see some of the growing pains we are having here too. Just food for thought in making your decision!